


How To Save A Life

by akikouyou



Category: The 39 Clues - Various Authors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Tragic Romance, i also don’t know anything about poison so that’s probably inaccurate too, i had to look up the stages of decomposition for this and i hated it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akikouyou/pseuds/akikouyou
Summary: Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova's seemingly little involvement with the clue hunt has far reaching consequences for all
Relationships: Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova/Irina Spasky
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This starts at the end of book five and then keeps going. I'm not sure I'm really satisfied with how I wrote Irina, but I still hope it's enjoyable :')  
> My apologies for any errors I may have missed, I'll probably go back in and fix them later.
> 
> Oh, and also thanks to aldendraco for the advice and keeping me from abandoning this poor story. I hope you like it!

Irina coughed and spit, trying to clear all the mud from her mouth. The gunk in her eyes wasn’t nearly as bad as the awful truth.

_ I’ve lost them. _

In the backseat of a cab heading back into the heart of St. Petersburg, she reeled with shame and anger, the latter ultimately winning out. Things were getting worse by the second, and being back home was making Irina sick if anything. Plans would have to be rearranged, backup measures would have to be taken. 

Dan and Amy knew about the Lucian connection to the Romanovs, and that had led Irina to the conclusion that they were being helped by someone. Someone high up in the branch on top of that. She needed to know, needed to weasel it out of the kids so she could take care of whoever it was quickly and painlessly. There was no room for errors this close to home. However, there was another part of Irina that didn’t want to know who was helping them, for she also feared what or who she might find, especially when her own moral code had been teetering back and forth between what served her branch the best, and what better served her own interests. Particularly when her own interests regarded a certain person residing only a mere four hundred miles away from her at this very moment.

The good news, if you wanted to call it that, was that Irina didn’t have to stop in Moscow for anything unless she so desired to. She couldn’t even be sure that Nataliya wanted her home after all. They hadn’t talked since, well, since Irina left for Grace’s funeral. And that talk had been less than unpleasant.

Her face must have given away a little bit of her frustration, because the driver was throwing her curious glances from the front seat.

“What do you want?” She barked in Russian, and he straightened up and focused his eyes back on the road. Following her little episode, Irina quickly pushed the intrusive thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on what would happen next.

As soon as she reached her room, the phone in her pocket softly buzzed three times. She ripped the device from where it rested against her chest and flipped it open in a flash of irritation.

“I’m busy,” she snapped.

“Our day isn’t going as well as I’d expected. I hope you have better news for me,” grumbled a Kabra on the other end. Well, Irina was not about to disclose her own misfortunes from the past two hours.

“Couldn’t handle the Holts? Why am I not surprised?”

She heard a deep breath on his end, and she was satisfied that she had hit a nerve.

“You have to get rid of them. They’re working with the Holts, and I’m pretty certain they’ve relayed another message. Dan and Amy are too close.” Pause. “Get them out of Russia.”

“Agreed.”

“Relay the details when you’ve accomplished your task.”

Irina snapped the phone shut and closed her eyes. It was done. She hadn’t been given an official kill order, but when it came down to it—

The image of a certain little boy popped up in her mind. No! She didn’t have to kill the Cahill children. There were other ways.  _ If I can get there fast enough. _

Her eyes flew open and she angrily marched to the bathroom to wipe the mud off her face. Too much to do, too little time. 

She missed Nataliya.

…

Irina’s finger hovered over the call button. She sat nervously in the St. Petersburg airport, foot anxiously tapping the ground and her eye twitching uncontrollably. She stashed the phone underneath her leg so she didn’t have to look at it. 

How long did it take to get to Yekaterinburg from here? Roughly three hours, give or take. Irina bit her lip and growled before pulling the phone out again. Wasn’t there someone else she could call? It began ringing.

After a few moments, the screen lit up and a familiar face appeared.

“Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova, you’re looking picture-perfect as usual,” Irina greeted her. Of course, Nataliya never looked anything short of perfect.

“You’re too kind, Irina Nikolaevna Spaskaya. What do you need?”

Irina breathed a sigh of relief at Nataliya’s soft tone. Although, by the way she talked, Irina knew she was not alone. Well then, the only option was to carry on with business talk as if nothing was going on between them.

“I need you to send a team to the room. There’s a lot of activity going on and I want to make sure it’s well guarded.”

Yes, that seemed appropriate. If the Cahill kids couldn’t even get into the Church then that solved the problem all together.

“Funny you should call,” said Nataliya. “Ian Kabra made the same request only an hour ago. We’re already building a black circle.”

Of course Ian did.

“Excellent. Did he tell you he was in Siberia, chasing the Holts down the Road of Bones? He’s got himself into quite a mess.”

“His father was not pleased, as you might imagine.”

Irina felt herself relax as they talked. It  _ almost _ felt normal.

“Maybe Vikram will finally come to his senses and put them both back in school, where they belong.”

“Would you like me to send the Shark to pick you up?” Nataliya asked. And as the question left her lips Irina noticed something in her eyes. What was it? Desperation? Longing? It was gone in an instant.

“That is an excellent idea. I’ve had some complications of my own, but I think I can get to the room before nightfall.” The look in Nataliya’s eyes returned, so Irina added, “Bring the Shark to me, I’ll bring it back. We can have that cup of tea you’ve been promising me.” Looks like she’d be stopping in Moscow after all.

“Be careful,” Nataliya’s voice came through crystal clear, and Irina froze. Those two words that Nataliya had told her over and over anytime she left for a mission. The words she last said before Irina left for Grace’s funeral. Meaningless to anyone else maybe, but not to her. An assurance that despite the current tension between them, Nataliya still did in fact, love her.

“I’m always careful,” Irina said back, and with a hopeful smile, Nataliya ended the call. Irina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Being back home was definitely making her sick.

…

The evening’s events had unfolded and transformed into one miserable blur for Irina. Inside the Shark on the way back to Moscow, she was beginning to have dizzy spells. Images flashed in her mind— red light exploding in a golden room, the wide and glassy eyes of a boy being pushed behind his sister— and then Amy’s voice, a particular few words, started nagging her mind: “We’ll give you what you want. Just let us go. Please!” And certain sounds returned— a loud crack echoing, bootsteps on a wooden floor, and the sounds of breathing, the short gasps, the hysterical inhalations of two Lucian agents with a severed windpipe. Lastly, Irina could not forget the face of one certain Cahill family member she thought for sure had been dead.

At least that finally answered her ever growing wonder at who had helped Dan and Amy get into the room in the first place. Or so she thought.

Upon touching down in Moscow, Irina was expecting to be greeted by one shimmeringly beautiful Nataliya in one of those finely pressed suits she always wore. Truthfully, the thought of seeing her in person after these last few weeks was the only thing keeping Irina’s mind at ease. However, when she climbed out of the Shark and onto the helipad, a complete stranger awaited her.

“Where is Nataliya Radova? The one overseeing this evening’s mission?” she snapped at whoever the lowly Lucian waiting for her was. A few steps closer and he stumbled backwards a little bit.

“I uh— I’m not sure. I was told to wait up here and greet someone by the name Spasky,” he answered in Russian.

“And what is it you want?” Irina’s patience was wearing terribly thin, and she wasn’t in the mood to stand here and prod for answers. Whoever the man was must have sensed her annoyance, for he quickly said, “Mr. Kabra wishes to speak with you.”

Every bone in Irina’s body seemed to activate all at once and her shoulders tightened. 

“Vikram? He’s here?”

“These were just the orders I was given.”

Irina scoffed and followed him down to the elevators. She knew things were bad, but she didn’t imagine they were bad enough to warrant Vikram Kabra coming all the way to Moscow. If she was getting a whipping though, then so were Ian and Natalie no doubt. That thought alone was not enough to comfort Irina, and she tensed even more as the elevator doors closed and they began descending. 

She rubbed her temples furiously, trying to alleviate the headache that was coming on. She hadn’t felt this stressed about a mission since her KGB days, and even then she wasn’t dealing with anything nearly as serious as the clue hunt.

The elevator doors opened up to the vault of a stronghold, and the two of them began heading in. At this hour, hallways were more empty, and their footsteps eerily echoed against the black walls. Irina always did despise this particular stronghold. It was always cold down here. Not that she minded the cold, of course, she never had. But something about the chilled old walls and sometimes vacant hallways was just, unsettling.

They took a flight of stairs deeper down, and Irina wondered if it would be worth it to use her nails at this very moment to incapacitate her escort and go searching for Nataliya instead. She quickly fell just a stride behind him and reached up, nearly touching his neck as he kept walking, completely unaware. It would be so easy. 

When they reached the bottom, he pulled the door open and held it for her. Irina glared and her hand flew behind her back as they both exited into another hallway before eventually, she retracted the tiny needles back under her nails.

Maybe not.

At the end of the hallway was a set of several rooms, which if Irina remembered correctly, were used for international meetings and calls. One of them was open, and she was directed in. Two steps inside and the door slammed shut behind her. A shiver threatened to run down her spine, but she shook it off.

Irina quickly figured out that she was indeed, alone. Of course. Vikram would never actually come here himself. She shook her head and looked around the room. There was only a thin tv screen on the opposite wall, a table in the center, and a small counter towards the back with a miniature coffee station. It was boring, but that’s how it was supposed to be.

Back in the nineties when they added all the newer sections to the stronghold, Irina remembered Vikram specifically wanted it to be dark and gloomy and well, plain. Nothing to keep the branch distracted. They must remember who they work for, was his philosophy. There was a time when Irina wouldn’t have seen anything wrong with the way the Kabras conducted themselves, because she had foolishly put them on a pedestal, worshipped them, and believed in everything they said. Believed that it was necessary to keep everyone on a leash so tight that one mistake would mean hanging yourself. But they’d go around causing destruction and damage wherever they walked, then retreat into their money and do it again. Never was a snake so fitting for their branch emblem. She thought about how Nataliya had made a passing comment about it once, saying something about how their nature would lead to their demise. Maybe she was right.

Irina approached the small counter in the back and began making coffee for herself. Although, if she was going to be speaking to Vikram Kabra, she wished for something stronger. Pouring in a tad bit of sugar, she looked around for a spoon, and stirred it with the end of a nearby fountain pen instead. The tv on the wall chimed, and two seconds later the screen lit up with Vikram Kabra’s repulsive face. Irina turned to greet him, bringing the cup she was holding to her lips and sipping. The burning felt good.

“Irina, how lovely to see you,” Vikram greeted. 

Irina let a small smirk creep across her face. She said, “They almost had me thinking you were here in Moscow. I was disappointed. But of course you would rather everyone else do the work for you instead of stepping foot outside the protection of your own home.”

“Watch your tongue, Irina, and remember where you stand,” Vikram snapped. “Besides, given the recent evening’s events, Isabel feels a little differently than I do. I’m sure you’ll be seeing each other soon.”

Irina felt like hurling her hot coffee at the screen, but she was not a toddler. Instead she slowly inhaled and took another sip.

“You’re sending your wife to come babysit me?”

“She thinks it’s necessary, being how tonight was too close of a call.”

Too close of a call indeed. Irina didn’t disagree with that statement. She finally pulled out one of the chair’s and took a seat.

“I assume this isn’t any debriefing, given this wasn’t an official mission.”

“Consider it one.”

Irina frowned and began tracing a circle around the edge of her coffee cup with an index finger. She looked down towards the ground as if the answer to all her problems was plastered on the dark gray floor.

“About this evening—”

“We have a traitor in our midst,” Vikram interrupted her. 

Irina knew something about that. It had been a topic of worry since entering the country. However, she assumed she knew the answer to all-things-traitor as witnessed in the amber room. At least now she knew who had been helping the children, and probably had been helping them this entire clue hunt. She felt irritation and even anger begin to boil deep in the pit of her stomach.

“That is what I thought. But no, is not one of our own,” she said.

Through the screen a deep V made its home between Vikram’s eyebrows and he folded his hands together.

“What do you know?” he asked her.

“I know who helped them.”

“You think you do.”

“I know I do. I was there in that room. I know what I saw.”

“Do you know who led them there? Are you that much of a fool that you can’t even see it?” Vikram threw his head back and laughed. The anger in Irina’s stomach grew, but her face betrayed nothing. He continued.

“Time has made you a weak agent, Irina.”

It took everything in her to ignore the blatant insult. There was nothing she could say back. Not if she wanted to keep her head.

So now begged the question, who was the traitor? What lowly agent had been stupid enough to fall to the Madrigal’s temptations? Someone idiotic enough to be used and thrown away.

“So what do you want me to do about it?” she finally asked, hoping that she’d be the lucky person to take them out. It was what she was good at, after all.

“I need you to take care of this discreetly. We can have no further incidents like this evening. Use whatever means necessary. This is extremely sensitive, so I’ll handle how word gets out myself once the deed is done.”

Irina blinked. “Who is it?” She asked, not even attempting to hide the confusion on her face.

From the screen, Vikram pointed to the back of the room.

“The file safe we use for meetings has the information. Even through a secure feed I cannot risk this.”

Irina was bewildered and still confused, but she got up and walked to the small safe in the back of the room, punching in a simple six digit code that they used for almost all safes in the stronghold. The tiny door swung open and sitting on the shelf inside was a single card about the size of her palm. Irina reached in to retrieve the item, holding it in the light to observe. On the face was the The Imperial Russian Eagles with the Romanov griffin on the shield. She turned it over, the only thing on the other side being the Lucian crest.

Well that was positively unhelpful in telling her who the target was. She flipped it over again and observed the front once more, looking for some kind of code hidden in the details. Then, it was like someone had taken a baton to her gut, and she felt sick upon her realization.

She stood up quickly, feeling nauseated all the sudden as she looked back over to Vikram Kabra behind that pathetic screen.“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked. There was an audible huff through the video feed, and even a brief moment of what was either disappointment or regret.

“It is not. Like I said, this is highly sensitive—”

“No,” Irina spat out, and Vikram looked astonished.

“What?”

“No. I won’t do it.”

“You don’t have a choice, I’m ordering you to.”

“I’d sooner be pecked to death by a flock of hummingbirds.”

Vikram flexed his fingers and slowly nodded his head. “I knew you wouldn’t be fond of it. But we all must do things we aren’t fond of, don’t we?”

No. He didn’t get to talk down to her like a child. Doing things you weren’t fond of included stuff like cleaning the house or doing the dishes, not killing the only person in the world that you loved. Irina shook her head again.

“I refuse.”

Now Vikram seemed a little more than irritated. He adjusted in his seat and leaned close to the screen.

“Just because your days working for Russian intelligence are over doesn’t exempt you from your duties to this branch. You’re a killer, Irina. Isn’t that what the KGB trained you for? Don’t forget who gave you that opportunity, or where your loyalties lie.”

“She is my superior.”  _ And a lot more than that. _ Vikram looked as if he’d have shot her where she stood.

“Not anymore. The only person you’re answering to from now on is me.”

Irina felt cold. This was too high of a demand, and she would rather do anything except this. She’d cross Siberia barefoot if Nataliya were alive at the end of it.

Irina knew that she should feel angry and sickened that Nataliya had betrayed the branch. But at the same time, a little part of her smiled, and she was simultaneously proud and amazed. If this was true, then Nataliya was the best spy in the entire world despite not having ever stepped one foot outside the Moscow Stronghold. On top of that, she also had to have been working against the Lucian’s for years. She was a much better agent than Irina would ever be.

Vikram apparently wasn’t done, and kept going.

“We always knew Grand Duchess Anastasia was a little too close to Grace Cahill. Apparently that friendship was passed down before she died. Funny, you'd think Anastasia would hate the Madrigals, since they were the ones that so brutally executed her family.”  _ The way he talked _ . It made Irina begin to wonder whether or not it was actually the Madrigals that murdered the Romanovs, or perhaps another group. Lucians had no problems killing each other, and they were  _ too _ good at it. 

Then again, Irina remembered what happened last time someone in the branch had killed one of their own. Although in some regretful way she was jealous of Dasha. Not only had she been kicked out of the KGB, but she had been ejected from the family entirely. She had gotten what Irina wished for so desperately now, a way out.

The silence was a poor decision on her part.

“Do you have something you’re too afraid to say? Did you know something about this before?” Vikram probed.

Now, Irina realized just how badly she wished she  _ had _ known. Because that would mean she wouldn’t have to do this, and at least then there would be a justifiable excuse for the both of them to pack up and get out. Irina let out a long held breath.

“Know something? Of course not.” She looked directly at the screen, her expression never wavering. A long moment of silence, the clock ticking, and it killed Irina.

“Do you hate them?” he asked. “The Madrigals?”

Ten minutes ago she would have said of course, no hesitations, but now she wasn’t sure. However, she wasn’t going to admit that.

“When they sabotage our operations, when they hide in shadows like cowards,” she answered confidently, “yes, I find it hard not to hate them.”

“Ah, and they are starting to prove a threat aren’t they? Which is why it is so disappointing that one of our highest ranking agents has faulted. She is very respected isn’t she?”

‘More respected than you or Isabel will ever be,’ Irina didn’t say, because she did want to stay alive after all. 

“It will mean the official end to the Royal family. Personally, it does hurt to do this. But we will do what we must to prosper.”

Irina knew when he said ‘we’ he meant him and Isabel. Call it a Lucian victory, but the Kabra’s would win.

“Irina, don’t you wish to prosper? To do more than merely survive?”

No. Her days of trying to climb the ranks of the branch to the top were long over. Thirst for vengeance had tired her out after all these years.

“I am just desperate to see the end of this mess cleaned up by the right people. May the prize fall into the correct hands.” She didn’t mean the Kabras when she said that, but Vikram wouldn’t know otherwise.

“You are still as passionate a Lucian as our younger days, Irina. Remember this has to be done by tomorrow, and I will take care of the rest. Our secret before the news breaks within the branch.”

He was a man who liked secrets. At least, when he was their keeper.

“Of course,” Irina finished the coffee she had been drinking, hiding her face behind the cup and biting the side of her cheek until her eyes watered.

When she was finished she stood up and threw the rest away, not looking back towards the screen. His remark came suddenly as she was almost to the door.

“Your work was always satisfactory, so I expect nothing short of that. I don’t imagine this will be difficult for you, since she bleeds so easily. Is this going to hurt you, Irina?”

She straightened, meeting his eyes, and he devoured every movement in her expression. She gave a slow, vacant blink and said, “It always hurts to lose a friend.”

He smiled, rather wickedly, at last. Somehow she got the impression of a finger being eased off a trigger. “You may go.”

Irina’s nails had carved deep crescents in her palms by the time she made it back to the stairwell, but she consciously uncurled her fists before drawing blood. Because even through a screen monitor in a tiny room, Vikram would have noticed. Oh, yes, he would.

_ You dodged a bullet _ , she thought as she ascended the stairs. But the loaded gun was still being held to the back of her head. She was positively sick now, and her insides stone-cold. For the first time in her life Irina had the cowardly wonder about whether or not she should run away.

_ I need to find Nataliya. _


	2. Chapter 2

Nataliya’s office down in the Security Wing was surprisingly empty. The lamp was still on, but all of her personal belongings had been gathered up and were gone.

Irina stood in the middle of the room, giving the desk an empty stare. Her whole body felt heavy and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. A thought struck her all the sudden, and she began worrying that someone else had gotten to Nataliya already. 

Irina rushed to the door in a furious stride when it swung open and nearly hit her right in the face. 

Nataliya’s slender figure appeared in the doorway, and she jumped back when she noticed someone in the room. As soon as she saw that it was Irina she relaxed and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

“Well good evening,” she said.

Irina took in the sight of her. She was as elegant as ever, with her dark hair falling over her shoulders and a white suit hugging her body. As always, Irina was completely engrossed by Nataliya’s beauty. She even temporarily forgot her conversation with Vikram less than ten minutes ago. Forgot that Nataliya had betrayed the branch, had betrayed  _ her _ .

“Must be a relief for your eyes, isn’t it?” Nataliya teased, and Irina snapped out of her trance. Their eyes met, and she felt a pang in her chest. It seemed impossible that Nataliya had been working against her this entire time, had been lying to her. And maybe they had argued before Irina left for Grace’s funeral, but it didn’t seem to matter now.

“Nataliya, I—”

“You can take me to dinner,” Nataliya said, and gave a weak smile.

Dinner it was.

…

Only twenty minutes later had found the two of them sitting opposite each other in a busy restaurant a mere five minute walk from Red Square. It was close enough for Nataliya, and the two had frequented the place for years before the clue hunt.

The journey over together had been silent, and ever so tense. They’d walked so close to each other that Nataliya’s fingers repeatedly brushed against the back of Irina’s hand, and it made her head spin.

“How are you?” Nataliya then broke the silence as they began eating.

Irina was suddenly speechless. Because how was she supposed to respond to a question like that, with someone like Nataliya? And how was she supposed to tell Nataliya about Vikram’s order? Each time Irina began to get angry, she just looked to Nataliya’s warm eyes, and the vicious thoughts simply faded. It seemed as if it were practically impossible for Irina to hate her.

“I want you to come home,” Nataliya prompted when it became clear Irina wasn’t going to speak first.

Irina tensed up again, keeping her eyes on her food. “I am home,” she said.

“You know what I mean,” Nataliya’s voice was laced with desperation. Irina looked up to meet her eyes, and suddenly guilt washed over her. She didn’t want to believe Vikram’s accusations. Not when she could look at this woman straight in the face and still feel so strongly about her. 

Why would Nataliya concern herself with the clue hunt anyway? Why would she care about Amy and Dan, most of all? Irina thought about earlier, when she saw that orange snake. Suddenly, she wasn’t guilty anymore, just furious.

Their eyes met again, and Nataliya was drinking in every emotion flashing through Irina’s icy eyes.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me home,” Irina finally said, and it wasn’t a lie. 

“I always want you home,  _ luchik. _ ”

The affectionate name made Irina wince. She looked around now, partly paranoid that Vikram had sent someone to watch her, to make sure she got the job done.

Of course, if this was a normal job, she’d never kill someone in a busy restaurant like this. She turned back to Nataliya, taking in her stunning stature once more. So beautiful, so refined. A new question began nagging at her mind. How was she even supposed to do it?

Vikram’s voice echoed in her head and it angered her.  _ ‘Since she bleeds so easily’ _ . Anything could do it. A hit in the head a little too hard, the scissors in the kitchen, a scratch with a needle. Nataliya’s voice came softly from across the table. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

Irina blinked, trying not to let her eyes betray her thoughts. 

“How could you tell?”

Nataliya didn’t say anything, but looked across the table and shrugged as if reading her was something she did effortlessly whenever she felt like it. And then Irina realized she more than likely  _ did _ , and was probably the only one that  _ could _ .

“Please don’t be quiet tonight. I’ve missed your voice,” Nataliya whispered. “I’m not upset anymore, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Irina let out a tiny sigh of relief. So that’s what she thought it was, their little argument before the clue hunt. Well, it would be much easier to go along with it, for now.

“You have forgiven me then?”

“I’ve moved on from it. Now I just worry every day you’re not here.”

Irina really wasn’t surprised by any of these words.

“It is no different than before.”

“Isn’t it?”

Irina paused, so Nataliya continued. 

“You can’t even trust the people in this branch anymore.”

Irina’s head jerked up and her fork clanked loudly against the plate, making Nataliya flinch across the table. 

“No, I can’t,” she snapped before she could stop herself, and Nataliya’s eyes went wide. Her expression rapidly changed to shock and something else. Was it fear? It was too late for Irina to take back what she said, the words were out there, and Nataliya knew what they meant. There was no point in playing the liar, not with Irina.

Nataliya froze on the other side of the table, looking alarmed but remaining absolutely still. “What happened tonight?” she asked.

Irina folded her hands in her lap and ignored the question.

“Tell me it’s not true.”

Nataliya’s mouth opened like she was going to deny it all, and Irina wanted so desperately for the words ‘it’s not’ to come out.

But they didn’t. Instead, Nataliya’s eyes dropped to the floor, and her shoulders visibly rolled back. Irina’s chest began burning, and it slowly began to spread up to her face. She wasn’t sure if it was more anger or more pain. It all seemed too real now, and there was no denying Vikram’s claims at this point.

“How could you?” Irina asked, trying to keep her own voice steady, but truthfully she was having a hard time. Nataliya finally moved again, but she wouldn’t make eye contact.

“Don’t just sit there,” Irina muttered when the other woman didn’t say anything. “Nat—”

“You don’t understand,” she finally barked back at Irina, and she felt a surge of resentment through her gut.

“What isn’t there to understand? It seems straightforward to me.”

Nataliya’s hand came up and shielded the side of her face. Her voice dropped down to a barely audible whisper, and she said, “I’d rather not talk about this here.”

Irina knew better than anyone that public places, and even some private ones, were not the place to engage in such sensitive discussion. However, her personal feelings were beginning to push their way past her professional rules, and she suddenly didn’t care.

“Sometimes I wonder what goes through your head. I don’t even know who you are. I thought I did, but I don’t.”

“Irina— please,” Nataliya was still whispering, and practically begging. She looked around wildly, as if she expected the patrons at another table to be watching, to be listening.

“Who are you looking for? Who do you expect to see? The man—”

“Stop,” and this time Nataliya’s voice was strong and clear. Irina felt like grabbing her and dragging her out of the restaurant, but instead she took a deep breath and tried to relax. Around them, nobody seemed to notice the tension in the booth, nobody looked their way. 

This time Irina was the one to whisper. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“Like I said, you don’t understand—”

“It’s not difficult to understand.”

“Maybe if you shut your mouth and let me talk then you wouldn’t feel the need to create a scene in this restaurant.”

“Don’t talk to me about discretion.”

“Well apparently you need to be reminded of it.”

“I’d like to remind you of who you are.”

Nataliya was positively angered now, yet her face barely changed. She was still as stone, but her gray eyes flashing, and it was terrifying.

“I know exactly who I am. I don’t need anybody in my life trying to tell me different. Especially not you.”

Irina was boiling at this point, but Nataliya wouldn’t back down. It was getting dangerous now. If they started down this road, things would be said that couldn’t be undone. Words would come out that could slice through their hearts as easily as a knife. Irina knew this, knew that she might regret the next thing that came out of her mouth. But it didn’t stop her.

“I wish I didn’t know you.” Because that would be a lot easier than facing the obvious truth in front of them. That Nataliya had been lying to her for years. 

“If you’re so mad at me why are you even here? If you’re so concerned with this, why haven’t you gone to Vikram and Isabel— since the three of you are such good friends.”

Irina’s hands were clamped up again into fists. She felt like throwing something.

“Why do you think?”

Silence from across the table.

“I don’t understand you,” Irina muttered.

“Well it’s not like you’re trying to. Maybe you should just get on a plane and follow the lead to the next clue. I’m sure the Kabras will have sent a team to watch you after tonight.”

“And tonight was whose fault exactly?” Irina bit back. “I’ve been told Isabel is coming herself. After I leave tomorrow, she’s soon to follow.”

Nataliya, who looked like she had just begun to cool down, threw her napkin down on the table and glared at Irina.

“If you’re just going to condemn me for tonight then why are we even sitting here?”

“It’s not just about tonight—”

“If you’re so outraged by this then why haven’t you told anyone? Why are you sitting here eating dinner with me instead of—”

And in the midst of her outburst, the realization hit her as hard as if she had been struck by a car on the street. She was frowning, and her eyes were locked on the table’s centerpiece in front of them as she put two and two together.

Irina watched as several different emotions passed through Nataliya’s face. She didn’t even try to hide it. The rage that had been stirring inside Irina all of dinner was now being washed out and overtaken by guilt and remorse.

“Oh,” Nataliya murmured, eyes glazed over. Her voice was so low Irina almost didn’t hear her. “Oh,” she said again, and it was like she was pleading. “I see.”

Irina swallowed, and once again, her entire body felt stone cold. Never had she felt so trapped. It was like she was being forced to the edge of a cliff, and she could feel the gun being held to her forehead, loaded and ready should she not jump.

“When do you have to have it done?” Nataliya finally looked up, her voice unsteady like she still didn’t believe it. She probably couldn’t.

“By tomorrow,” Irina choked out.

“I see,” Nataliya repeated. “I see.”

Finally, Irina managed to meet Nataliya’s gaze, and she might as well have been stabbed in the chest. There was a certain look in her eyes, one that Irina had never seen before and didn’t recognize. Was Nataliya actually scared of her? Was that fear in her eyes? Irina wondered if they were a reflection of her own. 

It hurt Nataliya to think that Irina would even think about it,  _ had _ thought about it, that there was a chance she had chosen  _ them _ over her. When it came down to it, where did Irina’s loyalties truly lie?

“Can we go now?” Nataliya then asked, begged really. Irina had never felt so sick in her entire life.

“Yes.”

…

It was nearly nine thirty when they were back underground and back in their home. Well— Nataliya’s home in the stronghold.

Irina closed the door quietly, but firmly, when they were both inside. “Tell me everything,” she stated flatly. “This hasn’t come out of nowhere. This isn’t just the decision to interfere with the clue hunt on a— what do they say— whim.”

Nataliya crossed the room and leaned against the wall, tossing her head back and sighing.

“Nataliya,” Irina said.

“I—” Nataliya paused, looking afraid to spill the truth about her work. “Grace,” she said. Irina’s eyes darkened. “We talked several times. She knew it was difficult for me to stand by and watch as our agents poisoned and killed innocent people to get their ways.” She swallowed. “At her insistence, I began thinking of ways to stop the branch from getting too powerful.”

Irina’s jaw tightened. “And?” she said. “Were you bribed by Grace to act as a double agent? Did she threaten you?”

“No!” Nataliya said at once, giving Irina a cold stare. “No. My actions were mine and mine alone.”

“So then what?” Irina growled. “Grace was insane as ever. And she convinced you that the Lucian’s shouldn’t win the hunt.”

Nataliya straightened her shoulders, shocked at the vehemence in Irina’s voice, at the fury in her eyes. She hoped it was directed at Grace, not at her.

“She helped me realize that no branch should win. I had to stop us from getting too powerful,” she repeated, and swallowed. “When we were young we were told to think that the Lucians were the most fit of all the branches to win, but I know you don’t even believe that anymore. Nobody should win.”

“Nobody should win,” Irina repeated back to her. “What do you think will happen?”

“You’re not worried about what might happen should Isabel Kabra get her hands on something so powerful?”

Irina narrowed her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be the Kabras.”  _ It could be us. It could help you. _

“It shouldn’t be anyone, Irina,” Nataliya said. She took yet another deep breath.

“But you didn’t tell me,” Irina uttered, trying not to let her voice waver. “You watched me go on missions for years, you told me to be careful— but then you were working against me the whole time. Today, you purposely led me to dead ends. When I called you from St. Petersburg—” She gulped. “You had been helping them, the children. I noticed. You lied, more than one time.”

“And what do you think would have happened if I had told you? You would have acted no differently than you are now. You would have stopped me, or left me, or—” Nataliya grabbed her own arms as if she were standing outside in a blizzard, and kept going. “Or you would have done what you’ve been sent here to do now. Kill me.”

Irina’s jaw was hanging open. “I’d kill you,” she said. “You believe I’d kill you?”

Nataliya had no idea what to make of the expression on her face, which was completely blank except for her burning eyes.

“I never—”

“You believe I’d kill you,” Irina repeated.

“No, I don’t!” Nataliya yelled, and then quickly lowered her voice. “But sometimes I’m not sure there’s anything you wouldn’t stoop to do if asked by Vikram or Isabel.”

Irina resisted the urge to shake Nataliya with all her might. She flung her arms out.

“I wish I would have known!” she cried. Nataliya looked as if she were on the brink of tears.

“I wish I could have told you,” she said, and Irina shook her head at the statement.

“You could have. You could. I wish you did. You chose them over me.”

“As if you haven’t chosen Vikram and Isabel over me time and time again?” Her face was pale now.

Irina gritted her teeth. “Nataliya—”

“Each time you left, each time you told me goodbye and all I could do was sit here and say be careful. For years they’ve had you running around like a chess pawn doing their dirty work, and you listened every single time.”

Irina looked like she was about to explode.

“It happened when your husband was killed—”

“No—” Irina interjected, but Nataliya didn’t slow down.

“—it happened when Alek left.”

“Stop.”

“—it happened when Nikolai died.”

“You don’t get to bring him into this!” Irina practically sobbed.

“—and it’s happening again with me! When is it going to be enough? What will it take for you? Does everyone you love have to die before you realize there are things more important than winning this? When was the last time you chose me, or anybody over your loyalty to the Kabra’s, Irina, be honest with yourself. It has been them. Every. Single. Time. And you know it,” she brought her hands to her head and grabbed her hair. “God you are such a Lucian it kills me sometimes!”

“How dare you,” Irina said incredulously. “How dare you. I’m doing this clue hunt for you. I’m running around like a fool out there— for you.”

Nataliya stood her ground, jaw twitching, eyes flashing with fury. “Are you? Are you really doing this for me? Or are you using it as a way to prove to Vikram and Isabel that you’re still worthy of serving this branch?”

“That’s not what this is.” Irina felt like she was about to choke. “And  _ fuck you _ for saying it.”

Nataliya didn’t say anything for a moment, they just looked at each other. Then finally, through gritted teeth, she said, “You know what, Irina? It’s okay if you want to prove that you’re still the shining olympic pole vaulter turn assassin, one of the KGB’s best. I just wish you could admit it to yourself instead of using me as an excuse to partake in the hunt, because I didn’t ask for this. I told you the day you left for Grace’s funeral that I didn’t want you doing anything stupid. I knew what could happen.”

Irina laughed in mock disbelief. “You don’t get to talk to me about stupid after what you’ve done. You knew what could happen— really? You’re much deeper into this clue hunt than I am and now it’s costing you your life. You don’t get to talk to me about stupid.”

Nataliya sneered. “Well at least my motivations aren’t so selfish. We each chose our sides,  _ luchik _ . But it’s not too late to change yours.” There was a pause, and Nataliya spread her arms out. “Well, are you going to say anything?”

“No,” Irina snapped. “Not when I want to tear your head off.”

Nataliya’s arms immediately dropped back down. “Tear my—”

“I can’t believe you— have you gone through the last few years with your eyes shut?” Irina hissed. “How can you possibly think you mean so little to me? My loyalty to the Kabras— all it takes is a few orders from them and you go to pieces. How immature are you?”

“Immature? It’s more than ‘just a few orders’—”

Irina slipped into her most vicious mimic-mode. “‘Irina, you doing your job makes me doubt everything you’ve ever done or said about our relationship’—”

“Everything you’ve—”

“—‘and I left my brain in my desk drawer this morning so I don’t think you would hesitate to kill me’.”

“I didn’t think that,” Nataliya yelled, not caring that she was raising her voice this time. “But I know what’s why you’re here.”

“Why are you so afraid?”

“Because I know you,” Nataliya said. “You weren’t going to come to Moscow. You were avoiding me. So if not to fulfill Vikram’s orders, why are you here?”

“I—” Irina inhaled sharply through her nose, and then exhaled, slowly. “Have you forgotten that I still— still love you?” It was like it pained her to say the words. “When I called you in St. Petersburg— you seemed like you wanted me to come home. You wanted me to spend the night, didn’t you?” Nataliya nodded silently. “But I got here and Vikram wanted to talk to me. And afterwards— I didn’t know what to do. I had to find you. I didn’t want to believe it. But I couldn’t be angry with you, because I still— did you forget?”

“No,” Nataliya said, her mouth dry. “No, I didn’t.”

“How lucky for it to be me that he asked. Or else you’d already be dead.”

“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Nataliya said, beyond frustrated. “Because it’s really starting to sound like you wanted to kill me.”

“I did!” Irina shouted. “I knew someone in the branch was a traitor, I suspected it when I got here, and I never so badly wanted to find out who it was so I could take them out myself. But then I found out who it was and I didn’t want to anymore! And here you are babbling on and on about how you think there’s nothing I wouldn’t stoop down to do. Do you think me incapable of caring for people? Have I been that emotionally vacant all these years? Should we have a ‘deep conversation’ where I explain my feelings for you in detail?”

Only Irina, Nataliya decided, could make talking about their relationship, or whatever, sound like the most goddamn stupid thing on the planet. “I was just saying—”

“You’re being an idiot,” Irina said.

Nataliya clenched her hands into fists. “Oh well I’m sorry if not wanting you to kill me makes me an idiot.”

“Well it does,” Irina snapped. “You should already know that I can’t!”

Nataliya blinked, suddenly feeling like a heavy suit of chainmail had just dropped off her, leaving her to feel light as a feather. Irina had gone silent, her face red from intensity. 

“You…” and Nataliya trailed off slowly, the incredible feeling of anti-climax. “You can’t.”

“No,” Irina said, and began massaging her temples with two fingers. Her eye was back at it, and she shielded her face with one hand. “I really can’t believe you, honestly—”

“But you have to,” Nataliya cut in. She took her own deep breath and exhaled it. “And you know you have to.”

“No, no, I don’t,” Irina said. “We have to figure out what to do next— where you’re gonna go—”

“No,” Nataliya stated flatly. She dragged her hand through her hair, and the two of them just stared at each other.

After a long moment, Irina finally let out an exasperated “What?”

“No,” Nataliya repeated, and lifted her chin. “I’m not going anywhere.” She bit her lip and Irina was staring again, her color had just started returning to normal. “I can’t go anywhere. You know that. You know what will happen— I’ll die.”

“You’ll die if you stay here. If I don’t do it, they will send someone else. I need to get you out—”

“No,” Nataliya said for what felt like the millionth time. They both began breathing quickly.

“I can get you out of the country,” said Irina. “I can keep you safe.”

“I know you can.” Nataliya’s eyes were bright. “You always have.”

She stepped forward and put her hand on Irina’s arm. “But you can stop now.”

Something had flickered in Nataliya’s eyes for just a moment that made Irina step forward as well, decidedly into her personal space.

“I have to be the one to do this. Nobody else can. I have to— I have to,” she kept repeating. Nataliya’s hand reached up and touched her cheek. Irina trembled.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she continued.

“You already have,  _ luchik _ . But I forgive you.”

Irina reached up and covered Nataliya’s hand with her own, trying to slow her breathing.

“And you are just okay with this?” she asked.

“I have to have a flexible definition of ‘okay’ with all of the things you do,” Nataliya joked and leaned in. Irina put a hand up between them at the last second.

“Don’t you dare kiss me. I’m not joking.”

“You sure?” Nataliya said, bringing her left hand to Irina’s other cheek and cupping her face. Irina’s color had fully returned now and she was hot to touch. Her arms came around to pull Nataliya closer, and said, “I’ll have his head.” She paused, and then added, “Isabel’s too. How dare they?” Her lips trembled. 

“A few moments ago you were saying the same thing about me,” Nataliya said, and in spite of Irina’s injunctions, dropped one hand to Irina’s hip. Irina didn’t push it away, and her cheeks flushed. Oh, boy.

“Natasha—” Irina began, and swallowed as Nataliya licked her lips and leaned closer. Irina’s breath caught but she didn’t move away. “I’m still angry,” she finished faintly. Nataliya bent her head and nuzzled Irina’s neck.

“I know,” she said. “But I hope it’s not for much longer. Not tonight.”

Irina pulled back suddenly, her eyes flashing. “When? When do I have to—”

“In the morning,” Nataliya answered confidently. “So we have the night together.” She took Irina by the shoulders and kissed her. Next thing Irina knew, her hands were in Nataliya’s hair while Nataliya unbuttoned her jacket, kissing her over and over again.

Irina paused to whisper, “And for the rest of the night, this is what you want?”

Nataliya slid her hands around Irina’s back, grabbing her shirt in two fists. “Are you going to tear my head off?” she asked.

“No,” Irina panted, already too worked up to snipe back.

“Are you still angry?” Nataliya nuzzled her hair and kissed her throat.

“Yes.”

“You’ll forget it.” She released her hold on Irina and retreated back, much to the other woman’s displeasure. As she began walking to the bedroom, she looked over her shoulder to where Irina still stood, unmoving.

“Come here.”

…

Truthfully, Nataliya thought she had no one to blame but herself. 

She couldn’t forget the look on Irina’s face during their argument earlier— both shocked and all-too-accepting, as she’d known this was coming but was ultimately not ready for it. It was true for both of them. Nataliya had known the discovery of her betrayal was bound to happen eventually.

So why hadn’t she been able to spare Irina from the consequences of her own double-dealing? Why hadn’t she taken care of herself before Irina was forced into doing it instead? At dinner, in that one moment before Nataliya realized why Irina was there, she was pretty sure she knew what she wanted: for Irina to quit the clue hunt and come home, for them to spend their days together before something happened. No, Irina was too stubborn. So why hadn’t Nataliya worked harder to prevent the discovery of her disloyalty to the branch? Where had she gone wrong?

For Nataliya, the most alarming thing was that Irina was convinced she  _ had _ to do it, and that there was no other way. But she also knew that deep down, way deep down, even if Irina wanted to, she just wasn’t capable. Despite the vigorous years working and supporting the Kabras leadership, Irina wasn’t like them. She wasn’t going to run everybody else into the ground to get what she wanted and she wasn’t incapable of human compassion, despite what the other teams thought, surely. And then of course… 

Irina still loved her.

Yet, despite Nataliya’s ramblings for years about how she knew Irina was still a good person, the woman was still convinced that she was no better than the Kabras.  _ Killing me would kill her. _ It would absolutely destroy her.  _ We each chose our sides, luchik. But it’s not too late to change yours. _ She was going to save Irina from this situation.

And if she had to take her own life to do it, well, so be it.

…

It was early now, around three or four in the morning, Nataliya wasn’t sure. It had been too good of a night, with the two of them doing nothing but loving each other for hours on end until both were too tired to keep going, and had fallen asleep. A perfect last night together, Nataliya had decided.

She told herself that in order for things to go on, this needed to happen. But while Irina was asleep and breathing softly next to her, she thought about what would happen if they were to try and run away. If they tried to survive together. Where could they go?

There were lots of places Nataliya wished to see. Well, practically the entire world. Irina had been to so many places, said the world was disappointing. Someplace warm, and very high up was ideal, Nataliya decided. Everything opposite of where she’d been stuck her whole life.

It wasn’t going to happen. Nataliya couldn’t make the conscious decision to walk away from this, and she didn’t think Irina could either. So that was the end of that. Twenty years of friendship, and then a decade of romance, all ending before the sun would rise. None of it was right, or fair. But Nataliya learned long ago that life was almost never any of those things, and there was always some horrible decision to be made. The main thing about decisions though, was that you didn’t get to stop with one.

Nataliya’s decision to end her own life so she could spare Irina the guilt wasn’t so much a difficult one for her. But she cried, all the same.

It would be easy, since Irina always kept her poisons close and Nataliya was no stranger to how they worked. Irina didn’t seem to notice when Nataliya slipped out of bed, but she kept the lights off and remained as quiet as possible. She was still tired. Understandable, she supposed, after the entire evening’s events, verbal and physical. 

As she mixed the toxins, she fought down a pang of pity. She was not going to feel sorry for herself when she made her bed and now had to lie in it. She had known what she was getting into when she started working for Grace, and had known the risks of being found out. 

She heard a shuffle outside the bathroom door as Irina stirred in her sleep, and Nataliya peeped out the door. The bed was still. She turned back to her mixture in a shot glass stolen from the kitchen, more than enough to do the job. Screw needles, she’d just drink it straight from the glass. Picking it up and swirling it around in the dark for a few moments, she paused, wondering for the last time, was this really necessary? Was she sure she wanted to say goodbye to everything? She took a deep breath, knowing if she didn’t do it now then she wouldn’t be able to. Another deep breath and she lifted the glass to her lips. Five seconds and it was gone. The taste, sharp and acidic, burning all the way down. Nataliya shivered and hurried out of the bathroom, right back to a sleeping and unaware Irina.

The bed was soft, and the covers were warm. The physical weariness was overtaking her and she curled up against Irina’s side once more.

“Mmm,” Irina emitted in her sleep, and Nataliya shushed her, taking a hand and placing her palm over Irina’s warm skin, much warmer than her own.

“Mmm,” Irina murmured again. “Natashenka.”

Nataliya placed one last kiss on her lips, and Irina softly sighed, her arm tightening around Nataliya in her sleep. What a beautiful way to die with her here.

She kept still in Irina’s arms, the weariness beginning to overtake her body once again, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open for another second. So she closed them, and dropped into a deep, quiet slumber in which she would not wake up from.

…

The next morning, when Irina woke up, a sound could be heard coming from her mouth that didn’t sound quite human. Irina didn’t even know she was capable of making such a noise. She stood over the bed, frozen, eyes wide. Surely none of this was real. Surely Nataliya was still asleep. She was limp, but still a little warm. Irina looked away from Nataliya’s unmoving body on the bed and entered the bathroom, hoping that maybe she was dreaming. Maybe she had hallucinated the entire image.

It came as a surprise when Irina noticed her small bag of poisons sitting on the counter next to an empty shot glass. So no, she hadn’t imagined it. Hadn’t imagined the cooling, lifeless body next to her when she’d opened her eyes. Irina had been waiting, dreading, the arrival of morning. Now it was here, and this wasn’t how she expected it to happen at all.

What the hell was she going to do?

She headed back into the bedroom in a daze. At some point she made it back to the bed— oh, Nataliya’s bed— and fell down hard, staring blankly at nothing. Her own words came out broken, gently crying out “How could you?” She didn’t even recognize her own voice, but it must have been her speaking.

She leaned down to Nataliya’s body, looking as if she were still asleep. But her skin was pale as the sheets and her limbs firm. She kissed Nataliya’s cheek, shivering at the feeling of cool skin beneath her lips.

_ Her voice. Please don’t let me forget her voice, _ Irina thought. Her entire body felt like it had been shot full of Novocain: puffy and numb. She couldn’t stop staring.

Just then, from somewhere outside of the room, a shrill ring sounded. Irina gasped and rolled herself off the bed, hurrying outside of the room to locate her jacket which had spent the night on the floor. She pulled her phone out from one of the inside pockets, the stupid thing vibrating wildly. She answered with an overemphasized harsh, “What?” Hoping that the distress in her voice wasn’t obvious.

“Good morning, Irina,” came a silky, deceiving voice on the other end.

“Isabel,” Irina responded through the phone, trying to sound poised.

“I hope you slept well, we have a long journey ahead of us,” Isabel purred through the phone, and Irina swore she could see the sneer on her overly moisturized face.

“Yes,” was all Irina said, trying her best to believe it, because then maybe it would sound real. If there was any indication that something was wrong, a team would be in this room quicker than she could end the phone call.

“Sydney by this afternoon. There’s much we have to take care of,” Isabel then said, and before Irina could say anything the call ended. She stayed standing there for a few moments, her eye not stopping for one second. She reached up and steadied it before walking back to the bedroom.

There was only one thing she could do now. Keep going. She needed to clean this up and get out. It was still early, so Nataliya wasn’t expected into her office for some time, but it wouldn’t take long before someone noticed she hadn’t shown up. 

Irina went through a series of emotions then: it was incredulous, at first, and soon she felt herself heat up with anger, but finally, she settled on resignation. She finished getting dressed and dragged her own heavy body to the bathroom once more, cleaning up any evidence that she had spent the night, especially her poisons which Nataliya had delicately left spread across the counter. Nataliya was smart, using the poison. It was clean and hard to trace if the correct amounts of each chemical were used. There were going to be people in here, and they’d be ever so observant. Irina had to be careful. She began slipping the vials back into their respective casings when she noticed something sticking out of the small bag. She pulled whatever it was out and nearly fainted right there.

It was a tiny plastic case with a pill inside, and attached, a thin piece of paper no bigger than Irina’s palm with Nataliya’s distinctive loopy handwriting. On one side:

_ Should anyone need to quickly forget what they have put together! _

Irina turned the note over, her emotions overtaking her once again as her eyes scanned across the words.

_ It’s not too late to change sides, luchik. Be careful. _

_ NRR _

Her heart was thumping a mile a minute as she read it again, and then once more. She held the tiny pill case up to her eyes, observing it. Short-term memory loss pills were not unheard of, and rumors had spread that the Ekats had come up with the idea first. However, Nataliya must have gotten this from…

Irina tucked the pill into the inside breast pocket of her coat, and read Nataliya’s words one last time before slipping the note in with it as well. Now she looked around, making sure everything was just as it had been before heading into the bedroom one last time.

Nataliya obviously hadn’t moved since Irina had gotten up. Her face was serene, and she almost looked fake just lying there. She didn’t deserve to just be left like that. Not someone like her. But what could Irina do about it? Nothing without giving herself away, and Nataliya would have scolded her if she did something so foolish.

So instead she turned and walked out of the room. Then straight out the front door. And then out of the stronghold where she kept going to the airport to board a plane to Sydney. And she didn’t look back. Not once. Somehow, she got the uneasy feeling that she would never be returning.

Irina never used to think there was anything more important than the success of her own branch. She never believed there was anything better. Or maybe she never explored the possibilities when she was younger because she was afraid it might change her perception of the family and turn her into, well, what did everyone call them? Madrigals. Maybe Nataliya was right, it wasn’t too late to change sides. She could do it, for the one she loved.


End file.
